R.I.P. H.R. Giger!

May 13, 2014

photo credit unknown

Well, as the news became official in Swiss media roughly an hour ago, I am saddened to announce that dark genius H.R. Giger passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a fall yesterday. He was 74 years old.

Mostly famous for his brilliant work creating both creature and set designs for Ridley Scott‘s sci-fi/horror classic Alien, most punkers (including myself) probably came across the Swiss artist via The Dead Kennedys‘ Frankenchrist album and that insert poster he provided that ended up getting lead singer Jello Biafra in all sorts of legal trouble (check it out here but it’s definitely, positively NSFW).

A genuine artist who’s surreal vision generated both admiration and disgust – but never left anyone unaffected – he was truly one of a kind and will be missed. Make sure to visit his official website here, write some kind words on the Facebook page here, and check out Alien: Behind the Scenes for a fascinating insight into the making of the 1979 blockbuster: